Remain impartial… our voices should be heard: Opp chorus on Birla election

“The question is not how efficiently the House is run; the question is how much of India’s voice is being allowed to be heard in this House. So, the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea. And this election has shown that the people of India expect the Opposition to defend the Constitution of the country. And we are confident that by allowing the Opposition to speak to represent the people of India, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution of India,” he added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who spoke after Rahul, was more forthright. Expressing hope that there would be no discrimination and the Speaker would provide equal opportunity to Opposition MPs, Akhilesh said: “I expect that the voices of public representatives are not suppressed and the dignity of the House is not hurt by actions like the suspension of the members… Impartiality is a great responsibility of this position…”

“Sadan aapke ishaare par chale, iska ulta na ho (the House should function as per your direction and not vice-versa),” he said.

Expressing hope that the House would run properly with the appointment of the Leader of Opposition, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said: “Sir, (the) parliamentary democratic system, of which we are firm believers. It depends on the secularism, communal harmony, and unity of the country… Sir, the House belongs to the Opposition. This attitude has to be adopted by the ruling party itself… Sir, you may have good wishes and intentions, but sometimes you bow down to the ruling party’s pressure… Sir, the suspension of 150 MPs in one day has happened. It is not desirable.”

DMK’s TR Baalu said that though Birla was elected as a BJP MP, now that he is the Speaker, “there should be no politics between him and the post”. “You have to treat each and every Opposition and ruling party the same… Kindly be impartial, impartial and impartial,” Baalu said.

Recalling the passage of the Bill on the appointment of Election Commissioner in the last Lok Sabha amid the suspension of Opposition MPs, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT) said: “The House should run because it should serve justice to the people… I hope that whenever we stand to save the Constitution, you will bless us,” he added.

NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule thanked Birla for helping the members during the pandemic. She said: “In (last) five years… one very sad thing happened. When 150 of our friends were suspended, it made us very sad. And it will be our efforts that you don’t think of suspension in the next five years. There can be dialogue,” she said.  IUML’s Mohmmed Basheer said impartiality should be the “mantra” of the House. “We had a bitter experience in the past. This should not be repeated,” he said.